When I wrote a short introduction to Francesco Villicich’s new body of work just about a year ago, I emphasized the concept that he is not your average artist, based mostly on his uncompromising attitude, passion, commitment and underlying literary and musical romanticism.

I am happy to say – after viewing his new series of paintings centred around the concept of wells (or perhaps eddying black holes, or perhaps vaginal abysses?) oozing in a miasmic, primordial atmosphere - that still nothing is ordinary in Francesco’s practice and that, more than ever, the viewer is asked to be actively and vertiginously drawn into the picture in order to tune into it.

The importance of physicality and gesture seems to be the highlight of this year’s body of work. Reminiscent of Lucio Fontana’s Spatialism (artist whose Italian background Francesco and I share) and his active intervention on the canvas with deep cuts, Francesco’s “wells” provide an equivalent painted window into an unknown, womb-like world beyond. I was also thrilled to gain a better understanding of the physical process through which Francesco has created texture and layers on his canvases: the re-birth of pigments after their temporary permanence in the limbo of a “sacred” urn, as well as the new life given to the cotton threads of his over-used rags.

Although I have not witnessed the birth of any of these new paintings, I can easily picture Francesco in front of a canvas already pulsating with a coat of vibrant colour, onto which he explodes the condensed life of former paintings represented by the pigments in the urn. It is a miniature-size big bang that impresses life and provides the nucleus through which the painting will inevitably expand and take shape. I am positive that, as small a big bang as it might be, it resonates very loudly in his ears every time he does it.

CURATORS ESSAY

Art and the Unconscious - Symbology and Eternal Language

By Alessandra D’Arbe

Through the metaphorical vision of a well, the artist offers a visual language with which to contemplate the boundless powers of the human psyche and art’s capability to unearth dormant passions which are innate and eternal. The concept of a collective place within us, which conceals the accumulation of innermost thoughts, memories and emotions, is expressed through the individuation of archetypes. In Villicich’s vision, symbolic circular forms reside in an intimate ante-natal liquid substance, proposing the idea of a secret-sacred compartment which springs from the depths of our unconscious mind.

Some of Villicich’s expressionistic images can appear to be very personal representations of water lilies, however one perceives that there is more at play which goes beyond a purely aesthetic experience. Concentric circular forms are found in the symbology of many ancient cultures and recall a number of natural elements, which can range from a simple ripple effect in water to our complex solar system. They evoke the sensation of constant motion throughout the image, like a living entity in evolution.

In the latest paintings of this series circular shapes begin to take secondary focus to an increasingly large and interestingly ambiguous archetype, which could recall a flower, a flame or a dissected stone fruit. It evokes a duality of emotions which is beautifully portrayed in Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetic words “...one moment your life is a stone in you, and the next, a star.”1 Its epicentre’s resemblance to the female anatomy recalls the act of creation, which unearths in the human psyche the mysteries of our primordial beginnings. At the same time the artist begins to insert threads which seem to autonomously branch out across the picture plane like delicate filaments eventfully mapping out the seismic energy of a collective spiritual journey.

A particularly significant matter employed in these works, which is the perfect painterly incarnation of the residues from a ritual experience, is leftover pigments. The last particles of paint left on the brush, which do not quite make it onto the canvas, are carefully cleaned off and stored in an urn, then utilised in charging the next work with an initial coat as if to bless the new creation. Villicich’s undiscriminating love for objects and materials, therefore, plays an important part in the realisation of his surfaces with the incorporation of his treasured recuperated pigments, which are very much like the ashes of oil paint resurrected and ennobled by their destined symbolic significance in these works of art. In ‘Well 26-Sally’ the use of these pigments increases, creating thick encrusted clumps which convey the concept of the sediments of lives lived, both real and imagined. The threads, which have also been meticulously saved from piles of old torn rags, embed a special significance in the artist’s message. It is a reminder of how every gesture and treatment towards the most seemingly insignificant matter can psychically charge the meaning behind the creation of an art work.

Through the intuitive impulse of gestural destruction and reconstruction of the image, the artist’s vision serves to unleash an array of emotions which range from tragedy to ecstasy. In an age where multi-media and technology seem to hold prominence, Villicich’s art not only continues to express concepts through the lyrical medium of painting, but also, shamelessly, focuses on temperament rather than irony, cynicism or rational thought.

"The Frankenstein Series is the visual incarnation of the plight to infuse life into lifeless matter. The tools employed are archetypes, choreographies of symbols, colour, darkness and most importantly, light." Francesco Villicich 2012

Francesco Villicich is not your average artist. The process through which his paintings are conceived, develop, evolve, and are brought to conclusion is not a straightforward one-on-one relationship between he and the canvas, with a full knowledge and understanding of who is in charge. It is instead through a constant metamorphosis of inspiration and ideas that colours and forms take shape, almost as if it is the canvas itself that answers back to stimulations and dictates what comes next.

The basic narrative is evident since Francesco is, in essence, a landscape artist, superimposing the physical beauty of existing panoramas to the amorphous landscapes of his imagination. However, it is this imagination and the self-evolution of the works that play the most important part in the final result, especially in his latest paintings. Although sometimes their large size, the strong and unapologetic palette, the complexity in the layering of the forms, and the seemingly complicated message they convey may create an initial barrier between the canvas and the viewer, Francesco’s works need patience and commitment in order to be fully appreciated and to offer a connection with the artist at a different level of understanding. The fulfilment and recompense one can achieve through this process is unlike many other experiences with works of art. This is what makes him an accomplished artist, true to the core of his practice.

The present body of work is a further step in this direction, with growing layers of complexity that throw at us everything he cares about: the four elements, the depth of the landscape, the mystical writings of ancient alphabets as well as verses by Australian poets, the organic growth of the vegetal and the mineral worlds, and the organs of the human body. All this is based on the concept of infusing life into his creations similarly to Frankenstein’s attempt to give life to his creature in Mary Shelley’s account. Avoiding the later, romanticised reinterpretations of the tale of Frankenstein, Francesco goes straight to the philosophic and poetic core of Shelley’s work, extracting its raw essence and appropriating it through his paintings. As the viewer will experience, the “Frankenstein” paintings are numbered in the exhibition in chronological creative order, from the earliest to the most recent. It is evident that Francesco has progressively moved from the dark tonalities of the initial moments, when he took the first steps of his journey, to the recent, luminous paintings where this journey progressed to attain its positive end.

A couple of additional thoughts came to mind while I was viewing and discussing with Francesco his recent works. One relates to their musicality in a broad sense. His paintings possess, in my opinion, an inner orchestral rhythm that makes them come to life not only to the eye but also to the ear, in particular through the music of Russian composers. It is almost as if I could hear the soundtrack of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, or even more of Stravinsky’s ballet music for The Rite of Spring. I find this association particularly uncanny because Francesco was an acclaimed classical dancer of international renown before he retired and became a full-time artist. He will probably find it amusing that I see a strong association between his two most important artistic endeavours.

The second thought is about the three-dimensionality of his paintings and the tactile feelings that they impart to the viewer. These amoeba-like forms and dripping bodies almost beg to be touched and handled in order to exorcise the uneasy feeling of mystery that they initially convey. For this reason I was ready to ask the question as to how Francesco, as an artist, would satisfy this type of curiosity and “touchy-feely” need on the part of viewers like me. He provided an unexpected and immediate answer to the question I never needed to ask: he is also a sculptor and has created some three-dimensional works which, employing found material and a generous amount of paint, provide a natural extension and complement to his paintings.

As I wrote at the beginning, Francesco Villicich is not your average artist. His passion and commitment to his work and his desire to communicate his feelings, fears, and love are unlike many artists whom I know. His spirit is romantic in the literary and musical sense, prioritising feelings over order, vision over reality, ideals over practical solutions, and impracticability over mundane concerns.

CURATORS ESSAY

The Frankenstein Series: Alessandra D’Arbe, Curator, Perth 2012

The artist’s personal research and affinity with nature during the course of his life led him to the realisation of a landscape as a living entity, with emotional capacity and self-determination.

In his work, the ultimate goal is comparable to that of the character of Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelly’s romantic novel who passionately attempted to infuse life into his creature. The landscape appears almost dissected revealing its inner side, with simple elements such as stones and earth looking like arteries and joints, the branches and pathways as veins and tendons. Trees become organs and flowers the heart and soul, the shaded distances are like skin pigmentation which, like a vessel, carries the whole, intertwining man and nature as one.

The landscape is scarred and sick as is Frankenstein’s creature, which is born with inner beauty and purity until ultimately exposed to injustice and fear. This scratched and incised surface reflects the state of its strained soul.

Once drawn into this newly created land the viewers receive enough elements to relate to their own world, yet plenty is left to the imagination therefore their unique interpretation becomes a creative act in its own right. In enabling such an experience the artist has had to mercilessly expose his inner most self, and inevitably invites the viewer to do the same. Observing the paintings becomes an endlessly growing experience as the image constantly seems to perform a metamorphosis, a persistent choreographic flow of movement with an inner energy which rewards the intensity dedicated in the painting’s observation.

The paintings are rich in symbols and recurring elements of graffiti, incision and calligraphic undulation: these archetypes seem to serve as the spark for life-evoking rituals performed to give birth to a magical land, a poetic vision in which colour and movement bare the essential elements of earth, air, fire and water.

The writings appear from wide and varied sources of inspiration: the ‘Pustaha’ or divination books of the ancient Batak tribes of Sumatra; a particular phrase of Australian poet Peter Porter; various passages from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; the old Hebrew word ‘EMET’ which is connected to the legend of the Golem and, most importantly, memories, names and streams of emotions which for the artist are profoundly related to the essence of life.

This series of works is, in fact, a celebration of life, both spiritual and emotional, and one cannot help but wonder if the lyrical world depicted here is simply where Frankenstein’s creature would have finally felt at home.

The mood of the paintings is at times broodingly Gothic, at times more Romantic, and here one can sense the moods of the forest at Selvino and a life lived mainly in a European environment. The application of the paint, however, takes the viewer on another journey.

The visual language Villicich has developed to convey his view of nature is to stress the surface of the canvas before applying any colour. Working quickly and instinctively, he splatters the primed canvas with multi-directional splotches, lines and curves of pure gesso. This is both a conscious and intuitive process, reminiscent of the way Jackson Pollock viewed his technique of applying paint, not as random, but as ‘controlled chaos’. As nature is never entirely rhythmical or repetitive, Villicich has mastered a way of applying the gesso to render this sense of an unending and unpredictable flow of energy. The surface is alive with tension and movement. A flat surface, to Villicich, signifies death.

On to this energised surface, the artist applies thickly layered, tactile slashes of pure oil paint in the simplest, most spontaneous way he can in the hope of “exciting the most sensitive nerve of the viewer.” In the areas of pure light, the almost three-dimensional shapes the paint makes create a molecular dance of colour, like energized photons of light pulsating through space. The surface is alive with chaotic excitement, even when the structure of the composition attempts to pull it towards order.

Villicich talks about paintings as being like the footprints of a hunter, of someone who is searching for something that is always fleeing, like the horizon that is constantly elusive. “The horizon is only, and always, visual; you can never catch it. It is always distant. These footprints that you leave behind you are your paintings. They are the residue of the painter, the means by which you seek to express an emotion.”

In his earlier paintings, Villicich portrays human domination over nature with his inclusion of ploughed fields, fences, and built structures. The tenuousness of this imposed man-made formality becomes apparent in his later paintings. The vigour of the underpainting begins to take over. The super-structure of human imposition becomes less evident, while the chaotic energy of the oil paint plays wildly over the surface. In the large green and yellow painting,

(Paesaggi #16), the last to leave the studio, fence posts are reduced to thin sticks, unconvincing as to their purpose. The ploughed fields are present, but far less visible. In the pink, red and yellow painting (Paesaggi #7), all human structures and elements have completely disappeared, except, perhaps, for the eye of the viewer which still seeks the horizon through the vortex-like centre of the composition. What is left is the essential energy of light and colour. Villicich, a collector of Australian indigenous art, is familiar with the way in which ceremonial paintings and designs drawn in the sand were destroyed at ceremony’s end. One senses something of the same happening here.

An exhibition gives viewers the opportunity of experiencing the trajectory of an artist’s thought, its translation into form. In this exhibition we see the beginning of a move away from formal compositional elements which evoke an Italian sense of landscape, to an increasingly abstract and dynamic space.

In 2006, Villicich moved to Perth with his fiancée Alessandra D’Arbe, a dancer with the West Australian Ballet. Australia’s expansive horizons and stark blue light may have played their part in loosening his connection to the more intimate nature of the Italian countryside. Or perhaps what we are witnessing is the artist disengaging from figurative boundaries to explore less constrained and freer ways of expressing the unbounded energy that is his sense of nature.